Should I choose AP Econ or Comp Sci A?

[Animation]

Long story short, dunno which AP I should choose between.

Note that here, Econ is a one semester course. We take Econ first semester then switch to Government second semester. You can only choose one class to be AP and then the other is left to be a normal, non AP course. After AP Econ we take both the AP Macro and AP Micro exam.

I don't know what the hell I'm going to be in the future, nor what college I want to go.

Hm. About Econ: I LIKE the subject. It's complicated enough to keep me interested but easy enough for me to pick up really quickly. Also the teacher (who I have now for APUSH) is very good. The way he teaches works very well for me, and I'm glad. Teachers make a huge impact on my learning. I'm like 300% more motivated to do well just because I like the teacher. So... yeah. Econ's worth 4 times more college credit than CS and I only have to take it for half a year. Obviously, the workload is going to be heavy. But in second semester I get to take normal government so that means I'll get a break later on. Aaaand I'll be walking in with no knowledge of the course?? So Econ will be hard but I will love every second of it.

Aaaand on the other hand there's CS. Um. I like programming too. The teacher is.... okay. She prints out worksheets from online and makes her students do them. Easy A for the class. Uh I don't have any experience in Java (in CS you learn to code in Java) but it can't be that hard, right? I looked over some past AP exams and it doesn't look that bad. And I KNOW I'm going to be hounded for this but I'm pretty damn fluent in HTML/CSS and while it's not the same as Java, it means this won't be the first time I'm looking at code and debugging and all that. So CS should be less of a challenge for me than Econ will be butttt at the expense of a crappier teacher and less college credit.

SO WHICH DO I CHOOSE

also if you ask "why not both?" there's a limit to the amount of AP classes you can take so yeah

[SaptaZapta]

So the only thing CS has going for it (for you) is that it's easier?
By that logic, why take any AP class at all?

[FabledGumbo]

My vote's for econ. Any AP class that'll give you worthwhile college credit is very much worthwhile if you think you can do well enough in the class to get credit for it. With a lot of them being worth 3 credits each and credits being around $300 a piece at a university, one passed AP test can cost about $100 and be worth about $1000. In particular, AP Biology was worth 8 credits for me, which is well over $2000 in tuition if you were to do it by paying flat value for credits like you would if you were doing summer enrollment.

[Niernen]

I took AP econ (year course) mainly because i am horrible at programing. You learn quite a bit and our teacher made it a fun class (plus a few of my friends took it with me). The AP Macro/Micro tests are not too hard either.

Having limits on AP classes seems stupid. I have taken 2-4 AP classes a year from sophomore to senior, an i know some people that have taken 3-5 a year and done fine. I dont see why they should be allowed to limit it (especially with all the potential money you could save).

If you really, really enjoy CS and are good at programing, take Econ, and get some AP CS books and teach yourself. That way tou can take both tests while only taking one class.

[Moonlapse]

I would go for the AP class. the workload will help you get ready for college.

[Five Second Pose]

AP econ. disclaimer: I'm an honours economics major

[Curtiss]

AP Econ sounds like it'd work out best for you. You can learn computer science in other ways while the economy class is something you'd enjoy, saves you money, puts just enough workload on you that you'd be more prepared for college but not so much as to stress you out and you know the teacher is going to be amazing. Why not?

[Corn]

If you think you're going to an engineering school, do AP Comp Sci. Econ usually counts for nothing in those kinds of colleges.

Otherwise do Econ, as that will be useful in pretty much any other kind of college.

[Worthyness]

Computer science is a much more applicable field that is hiring students while they're still in college. You should take the class if you are intending to pursue a degree in some sort of computer science/any sort of engineering or any other science of the like (i know my Earth and planetary science major utilizes programming often). If you intend to be more business oriented in college, I'd take the Econ. You really shouldn't just take AP classes because they're easy. Take classes that you're interested in and that may help you further your education at college. If i were you, I'd take the Comp sci class just to try and expand on my knowledge of the subject.

[Polantaris]

I naturally would say Computer Science, but looking at what you provided:

1) AP Econ would be more enjoyable for you, as you mentioned.
2) AP Econ would be better for college credit.
3) Does AP Computer Science have anything to do with your future major in comparison to AP Econ? That will help you choose, I think.
4) Knowing a programming Language would help make a fancier resume in any tech job, in my opinion.
5) This really depends on how much you'll work at it. Taking a class because you think it is/is not easy is not the way to go. Take it whether or not you'll actually like it. If you think you might end up hating Computer Science, don't take it. If you think there's potential for you to love it, take it. If you are only judging it based on the teacher, I think you're going at it the wrong way. Especially when it's an AP class, this is true.
6) How exactly will those two Exams help you in the future (I've never heard of them)?

If you choose AP Computer Science....get Eclipse. It solves headaches.

Unfortunately I have no suggestions for you if you choose AP Econ, but good luck whichever way you go.

[Locked]

Weird how they limit your learning to a certain number of AP courses.

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Having limits on AP classes seems stupid. I have taken 2-4 AP classes a year from sophomore to senior, an i know some people that have taken 3-5 a year and done fine. I dont see why they should be allowed to limit it (especially with all the potential money you could save).

The high school society here's a little weird. You get stigmatized for NOT taking AP classes, actually. Most students have at least four APs when they graduate. And for the classes, it's a random draw. Idiots who barely pass their normal classes have much as a chance to get in as good students. It's really sad when top-performing students don't make it in the classes they want while people who really don't deserve/actually care make it in. So yeah. Our AP classes get filled up really quickly. We don't have enough teachers. :/ Which is why there's a limit.

Econ.

Looks like I'm taking Econ, while self-studying CS for the next 17 months. :)

[Maping]

The high school society here's a little weird. You get stigmatized for NOT taking AP classes, actually. Most students have at least four APs when they graduate. And for the classes, it's a random draw. Idiots who barely pass their normal classes have much as a chance to get in as good students. It's really sad when top-performing students don't make it in the classes they want while people who really don't deserve/actually care make it in. So yeah. Our AP classes get filled up really quickly. We don't have enough teachers. :/ Which is why there's a limit.


Looks like I'm taking Econ, while self-studying CS for the next 17 months. :)

That's not weird, that's stupid. Not every student is ready for college-level courses (*couchmostaren'tcough*). At my schjool, I guess it's expected, so to speak, but you aren't shunned if you don't take them. Thankfully, mine is a large school, so we have plenty of classes and teachers to go around.

[VerrKol]

The high school society here's a little weird. You get stigmatized for NOT taking AP classes, actually. Most students have at least four APs when they graduate. And for the classes, it's a random draw. Idiots who barely pass their normal classes have much as a chance to get in as good students. It's really sad when top-performing students don't make it in the classes they want while people who really don't deserve/actually care make it in. So yeah. Our AP classes get filled up really quickly. We don't have enough teachers. :/ Which is why there's a limit.


Looks like I'm taking Econ, while self-studying CS for the next 17 months. :)

My school had a similar bias against kids who didn't take any AP courses and most took at least some in their preferred subjects. It's really unfortunate that the budget is structured to limit the choices so much. I ended up taking 6 AP classes in my senior year alone and I know that they made a big difference when it came to me getting into college. I understand why they have to give even poor performing students a chance at AP classes but... man that sucks.

I'll also suggest that you can take community college classes in computer programming Java, C++, etc. That would be the obvious solution to guarantee college credit and having a teacher to help and answer questions if needed.

[WillDaSnail]

From what I've read in your OP, I'd go with AP Economics. Incredibly useful, and is a nice springboard into numerous majors in college. Do note that you have the opportunity to either take the Macro exam or the Micro exam, depending on your subject interest. (You can take both of those exams if you wish, especially if you want to challenge yourself and want to learn everything that economics has to offer :P)

Additionally, it seems like you have knowledge of coding, especially in Java. It looks like AP CompSci A might not be too much of a problem for you if you decide to take it.

Why not take both AP Econ and AP CompSci A?

Do you have an idea of what you like to pursue when you enter college? That might help you with your decision on which AP course to take.

Also relevant to the discussion: my high school didn't institute a "hard cap" policy on the # of AP . However, the HS counselors there strongly discouraged anyone from taking above 5 AP courses due to the obvious "overload" concern (taking anywhere between 3-5 AP courses/year was the norm for those that were willing to challenge themselves academically).

P.S. Have you considered taking the AP U.S. Government exam?